Open talks may have helped end teachers strike

Prairie Grove District work stoppage ended after a day

Parents watch as the teachers union and district hash out a new contract agreement for Prairie Grove Consolidated District 46. (Sally Ho, Chicago Tribune)

An unusual "open-session format" for contract negotiations is getting credit for ending the latest teachers strike in the Chicago metro area, which lasted one day.

The strike was called about midnight Friday, after more than six hours of negotiations Thursday night between the Prairie Grove Teachers' Association and officials of Crystal Lake-based Prairie Grove District 46. Students returned to class on Monday.

The association represents all 74 teachers in the district of about 1,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Officials said the sides came to terms on salaries late Thursday and that the last sticking point was on health benefits. Many parents went to the school that evening to find out the latest news and asked Superintendent Lynette Zimmer to open up the talks.

So, when the negotiations resumed at 9 a.m. Friday at district headquarters, it was before a crowd of about 30 parents at its peak. The open session did not allow public input or recordings. Zimmer called it a productive format.

"When you're in public, people watch their manners. People are on their game. People are focused," said Margaret Ponga, a parent in the district.

Ponga was one of the parents who pushed the district for the open negotiations and believes it helped get a deal so quickly.

"I believe all public negotiations should be public," she said. "We've shown it can be done and it can be done professionally."

After going back and forth, the district accepted a counter offer from the union shortly after 4:15 p.m.

The union has worked without a contract since last school year. Teachers will receive retroactive pay based on the new contract terms. Other details haven't yet been released, and formal approval is pending.

The union has been negotiating for a new contract since January 2011 and filed their intent to strike in August. The union has had the legal ability to strike since Sept. 7, which was just days before the Chicago Public Schools teachers strike happened.